Iran has postponed a state funeral planned for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, initially set for Wednesday evening in Tehran, citing “unprecedented turnout” as the reason, according to state television.
“The farewell ceremony for the martyred Imam has been postponed. The new date will be announced later,” Iranian television reported on Wednesday after Khamenei was killed at 86 in US-Israeli strikes over the weekend.
Earlier on Wednesday, authorities announced a tribute would be held in Tehran that evening, before Khamenei’s body is taken to his hometown, Mashhad, for burial.
Tehran has been hit by strikes since Saturday, with missiles targeting military and government buildings.
Authorities did not link the postponement to the security situation.
It was partly down to “the expected participation of millions of people and the need to provide the proper infrastructure” for such a crowd, Mohsen Mahmoudi, head of Tehran’s Islamic Development Coordination Council, the body organising the event, told state TV.
